This is the last post in my Slave Leia cosplay tutorial series, and in this one, I show how to make the top part of the costume.

I made the costume Kristen Bell wears in the movie Fanboys. So, this tutorial is about how I made that one. It is not screen accurate to the Slave Leia costume in Return of the Jedi, but it’s something you can DIY, and it’s easy to custom-fit and make adjustments for different top sizes.

Click here if you are looking for the tutorial and pattern for making the Leia skirt.

The Slave Leia Top

I start with an underwire bra in either black or brown. The best bras have a hard, defined cup. The harder the cup is, the easier it is to work with. I usually can find this style at Walmart for pretty cheap. They are usually the “padded push-up” style.

They also need to have straps, which you will cut off. The ones with straps have a better teardrop shape than the strapless ones.

I go over more about the bras and covering them in the YouTube video below. The actual tutorial part starts at 3.26, so you can skip over my explanation at the beginning if you want to get right to the tutorial.

Prepping the Bra Top

The first step is cutting off the straps and side pieces. You’ll need to watch the video for the demo on that. I use a leather cord for the ties around the neck, but you can use whatever you want.

I also talk about the bead that I usually put on top that helps hold it all together. It’s not a necessary piece. You just need to make sure the top is secure at both points, where it will be able to tie around your neck and support the weight.

Covering the Bra

The material I use to cover the bra is a lightweight microsuede. It’s not really leather but a synthetic polyester fabric that mimics the soft, brushed texture of real suede.

They make a heavier-weight microsuede for upholstery, and you can use that, but it is a little harder to work with than the lightweight ones.

The lightweight style has a little bit of stretch, and that helps get a smooth covering over the bra cup.

The most popular color choice is tan, but I’ve also made the tops in green and in gray.

Creating the Top Design

This is the most challenging part of the top, and when I first made this costume, materials were limited. So, I totally made up how to do it, using upholstery piping cord and wire.

The piping cord is also called lip cord because it has a lip on it. You’ll actually cut that off and it becomes part of the design.

I thread craft wire through the cord, so that makes the cord able to hold a shape. I form it on the top and pin it down.

There’s no pattern I follow. I just look at the top and make the design so it fits best on the top.

After that is done, you can start painting it.

The best cord to use is the smooth tan style. It covers easily and ends up looking like molded metal in the end.

Painting the Slave Leia Top Gold

For the first layer, I use Tulip Metallic Gold fabric paint. I also use that same paint at the end.

You want to make a thick layer, and do at least two layers, gooping it up over the folds so the paint fills that in.

For the final paint layer, I use spray paint in a cup and paint it on. I show how to do all this in the video.

Once the spray paint layer is on, the last thing you do is add the gold detail with the dimensional fabric paint. This is the same paint I use to make the design on the gold plates for the skirt.

And when you are all done, it looks like this:

The above pics are different versions of the top I have made for myself, using a brown, tan and green for the top.

The end result should fit great and be fairly comfortable.